This is a move everyone knew was coming. After repeated issues with tardiness over the last two seasons, the Jets benched Wilkerson for the final three games of the season to avoid a clause that would have guaranteed his $16.75 million 2018 salary in the event of an injury.

No longer a part of the team, the Jets will save $11 million in cap space with $9 million in dead money attached to Wilkerson. That’s assuming Wilkerson won’t be a cut after June 1. If that’s the case, the Jets would clear $17 million in cap space, but the dead money would be spread out from 2018-2020.

This follows Matt Forte’s retirement, which freed up $3 million in cap space.

Wilkerson once looked to be the league’s next great defensive end, a player worthy of the five-year, $86 million extension New York gave him in 2015. That deal included $37 million guaranteed.

Ever since signing it, however, Wilkerson checked out on and off the field. While injuries also hampered his play, his effort was called into question over the past two seasons. On top of that, his inability to tell time became a constant headache for Todd Bowles and the Jets.

Rather than be a veteran leader, Wilkerson lost focus and showed zero accountability once inking his monster deal. He finishes his Jets career with 44.5 sacks and a handful of benchings.

Still a talented player, Wilkerson should be able to find another job on the open market. That team will be gambling that he won’t be the distraction that he was in New York — and that he now knows how to set an alarm clock.